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Automated Sample Prep

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 1:57 pm
by LindseyPyron
I am interested in gathering some information about automating sample preparation. Everyone acknowledges that it is the biggest bottleneck in the laboratory, but few actually invest in instruments to perform sample preparation.

What are your barriers to making this move?

What price point would a system have to enter the market for you to consider this option?

Besides automatically making calibration curves etc, what specific methods would you first automate?

Thank you in advance!

Re: Automated Sample Prep

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 4:46 pm
by James_Ball
In our lab we would benefit more from automation of the solid phase extraction than anything else. I know Horizon is doing this with large disk extraction but not many are trying it with cartridge based extractions.

With the newer SPE methods we are moving away from using large solvent evaporators where we evaporated 300ml or more of solvent from liquid liquid extractions to needing to evaporate about 15-30ml of solvent. Easy to blow that down but have to watch it closely near the end to make sure it doesn't go below 0.7ml or we start losing analytes. After that bringing to volume of 1.0ml and adding internal standards (usually 10ul) is the last part of the prep.

Automated calibration curve prep is nice, but that only takes us a couple hours once a month to do, so not as much time savings for us there.

I have tons of ideas about how to do it, but no practical way to test any of them lol.

Re: Automated Sample Prep

Posted: Wed May 23, 2018 10:38 am
by Markus Laeubli, Metrohm
Sorry for the late reply.

Metrohm is offering a range of Inline Sample preparation techniques for ion chrormatography.

Have a look to https://www.metrohm.com/en/products/ion ... y/ic-misp/ and speak with you local Metrohm IC representative.

Best regards